UN Chief Urged to Condemn Khamenei's Anti-Israel Remarks

The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists on Tuesday sent a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, asking him to condemn recent hateful remarks about Israel made by Iran’s supreme leader.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that Israel is a "regime doomed to collapse," and referred to Israel as "the rabid dog of the region." He also claimed that the Jewish state poses a threat to the world.

France was quick to condemn Khamenei’s comments, but the United States took a whole day to condemn them, and even this was only done after Israeli officials expressed disappointment at the U.S. silence.

Ban has thus far remained silent on the issue, noted Irit Kahn, the president of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists.

"Some may have already become accustomed to hearing Iran's incitement against Israel, but [Khamenei's] remarks are reminiscent of the statements that were made pre-World War II against the Jewish people,” Kahn told Arutz Sheva on Tuesday.

“We thought that these remarks cannot remain without a response, and we call on Ban Ki-moon to condemn them,” she added.

Kahn also welcomed the decision to admit Israel into the UN Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) Western European and Others Group (WEOG), saying the move will make it hard for those who consistently try to isolate Israel in the international body.

Israel cut ties with UNHRC in March 2012 over the Council's intentions to investigate how "settlements may be infringing on the rights" of Palestinian Authority Arabs, and Kahn told Arutz Sheva that she believes that the Israeli decision to sever ties with the UNHRC is what allowed Israel to eventually be admitted to the organization.

“Israel’s leaving the council probably precipitated this upgrade,” she said, adding, “Israel can now have an equal voice in discussions and prevent bad one- sided resolutions against it.”